Heavy traffic jams occur in Tehran, Iran, on February 28, 2026, following an Israeli attack.Image: keystone
Israel and the USA are betting on a decapitation strike against the Iranian leadership. The regime responds with counterattacks, but complete collapse is looming.
Feb 28, 2026, 3:27 p.mFeb 28, 2026, 3:27 p.m
Simon Maurer / ch media
The air strikes came at an inopportune time for the regime: On Saturday morning, when the working week traditionally begins in Iran, Israel and the USA launched their attack on several major Iranian cities. Government buildings in Tehran, Isfahan and Karaj, among others, were bombed. A building near Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office and several facilities in the immediate vicinity of the presidential palace in Tehran were also targeted.
Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian usually stays there – an indication that Operation “Roaring Lion” is intended to specifically eliminate the country’s political leadership. US President Trump openly formulated the goal of regime change in a speech on Saturday morning after negotiations on a nuclear agreement between the US and Iran apparently failed on Friday.
Iranian President Masoud PezeshkianImage: AP
Retaliatory measures lead to a diplomatic collapse
Sources close to Israeli intelligence reported on Saturday afternoon that Iranian Justice Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and Defense Minister Amir Hatami were killed in the attacks. However, the reports were denied by the Iranian army and have not yet been independently verified. According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, President Massoud Peseschkian and the Ayatollah are also still alive. The latter is currently not in Tehran.
The air strikes put the entire region in a state of alarm. Iranian forces responded with counterattacks on strategic targets in surrounding countries. According to consistent reports, these were primarily aimed at Israeli military positions and US bases in the region, including facilities in Iraq and Syria. However, the predominantly Sunni states in the Persian Gulf, namely Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were also affected by the retaliatory measures.
Smoke rises into the sky after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, February 28, 2026.Image: keystone
This marks an escalation that has not been seen in the region for a long time – after all, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally telephoned the Iranian leadership a few weeks ago in order to keep his country out of the conflict.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry published a reaction on Saturday statementthat his country will “make all available resources available to support friendly countries in any measures they take.” This about-face is a diplomatic disaster for the Iranian regime, as observers previously assumed that the Gulf states would behave neutrally in the conflict.
Chaos and joy among the urban population
There were mixed reactions in Iran itself after the attacks. Images from the larger cities show congested highways with crowds of people trying to escape to the countryside. There were also numerous recordings of Iranians celebrating the US air strikes with columns of smoke in the background – and even shouting the names of US President Trump or the Israeli Prime Minister.
Observers see the fact that the population is so openly expressing their joy about the US intervention as a particularly bad sign for the mullahs’ regime. The Iranian opposition has never been in such a strong position as it is now, with numerous experts in the region predicting in recent weeks that the regime would only fall after external intervention. That time may now have come.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlaviwho has supported protests in the country from the United States in recent months, called on Iran’s security forces to oppose the regime and protect civilians instead. They should first seek shelter in their houses and wait for a sign from him. As soon as this is there, people should take to the streets for one last big protest – and end the Ayatollah regime once and for all. (aargauerzeitung.ch)